One of the most memorable
characters in
Chicago literature is Martin Dooley, the
loquacious and opinionated Irish immigrant
who tended bar along Archer Avenue in
the Bridgeport neighborhood. Mr. Dooley
was created by Finley Peter Dunne.
Peter Finley Dunne (he later reversed his
names) was born to Irish Catholic
immigrants in 1867. With his instinct for
a good story, he gravitated toward
journalism, joining the staffs of several
newspapers, including the Chicago
Telegram and the Chicago Times. It was
at the Chicago Evening Post where
he created the character of Martin J. Dooley, who was modeled after a real-life
Chicago bartender. Mr. Dooley was known for his quick wit, common sense,
and strong opinions delivered in a broad Irish dialect.

Dunne's weekly columns became a Saturday evening tradition in Chicago. Between
1893 and 1900, he wrote about 300 Dooley pieces. In 1893-95,
Dunne lived at 3109 West Warren Boulevard.

Dunne's satirical pieces
on the Spanish-American War earned him a national reputation. By World War
I, Finley Peter Dunne was the most famous
newspaper columnist in the country.